Sept. 12, 2023

Family Justice Center partners with Sexual Assault Center on Safe Bar initiative

The City of Johnson City, the Johnson City/Washington County Family Justice Center and the Sexual Assault Center have partnered to make the community a safer place. Safe Bar TN is a network of bars, restaurants, and community organizations working together to prevent sexual violence and create safe nightlife spaces.

This program offers area businesses free, in-person instruction on how to recognize signs of potential assault or unwanted behaviors. Ways to safely and effectively intervene are taught as part of the training.

“There are benefits for organizations to participate like free advertising, but the most important is the training,” said Deborah Dunn, director. “Bartenders, servers, and restaurant managers will receive important tools that can help them prevent sexual violence.”

The Johnson City/Washington County Family Justice Center provides important resources to individuals experiencing domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual abuse. Services the center offers include advocacy, safety planning, lethality assessment, orders of protection, civil-legal support, counseling, support groups, and access to safe shelter.

The Family Justice Center encourages establishments to achieve Safe Bar status. Following the training, participating businesses will receive a Safe Bar decal for their door, letting patrons know that its employees can help keep them safe.

To sign up for a free Safe Bar training session, contact Melanie Jaynes with the Family Justice Center at MJaynes@johnsoncitytn.org or 423.722.3720 ext. 117.

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